There was a huge canyon that seemed to rise from the ground.
The edge of the canyon, as sharp as a needle, seemed to pierce the sky, and its very steep shape made it seem like it was about to sink into the wasteland at any moment.
"That's it."
A wasteland full of dry dust.
Peter lowered the cloth covering his mouth and silently looked at the canyon blocking his path.
Through narrowed eyes, there was a large city gate visible in the distance.
"That's the Holland Gate I've only heard about, father."
"Yes."
Peter silently nodded at his son's words as he quietly approached him.
As Rutiger had said, the gate rising as if blocking the way was the imposing Holland Gate, one of the proud thresholds of the west.
The natural fortress, so famous that it was known even in the north, where there was little exchange, was located within the canyon and completely blocked the path to the west.
"Indeed, it's the Western Wall, and from what I've heard, it doesn't seem easily passable."
Rutiger looked at the Holland Gate in front of him, blocking the sunlight with his palm.
The narrow and winding canyon resembling a snake that ran through it was once said to be a place where a river flowed.
Perhaps at that time, the place where they were now standing would not have been a dry wasteland, but one of the great rivers.
"The march... Let's stop here."
When Peter gave the order, thousands of soldiers who had reached the canyon entrance stopped in an orderly manner.
It was exactly the point where soldiers resting atop the gate in the distance could be seen.
"I think here will be enough."
After giving the order, Peter raised his head and looked towards the canyon entrance they had entered.
Although it wasn't as good as the entrance gate in front of them, it was also narrow and rugged.
The terrain seemed like it could serve its purpose, even if it were a clumsy fortress, if one were to be built.
"What about the allied forces?"
"They say they'll descend within two days."
"Count."
"Very well."
After hearing the report from advisor Ragmus, Peter looked towards the Holland Gate.
Just as he had heard, it seemed the western gate would allow no intrusion.
"...Once we seal it shut, this war will end."
However, the narrow and deep path might not apply only to those who wanted to enter.
Those who wanted to leave also had to traverse the breach, so the disadvantages created by nature were equal for all.
"We'll wait here until the allied forces arrive."
"Understood."
By Peter's order, thousands of Bayezid troops began to camp at the mouth of the canyon.
However, the western forces in front of them could only watch the scene and had no intention of advancing.
"Let's end this war here."
The executives surrounding him nodded at Peter's calm words.
It started with Gaidar, but it ends with Bayezid.
Blocking the Holland Gate gorge, the gateway to the West.
The Northern Allied Forces, still coming from behind, were coming to establish a stronghold at the canyon entrance under the instructions of the Steel Lord.
From now on, the newly constructed fortress was scheduled to become the southernmost outpost of the Northern Allied Forces, which would block the west and aim at the center at the same time.
***
Soara on a sunny afternoon.
The sunlight streaming through the window was warm, but Goethe, who stood before him, began to break out in a cold sweat.
"Yes. Goethe. Welcome back to Soara."
Is it because I turned my back to the sunlight or because the shadows under my eyes have become darker since I couldn't see them?
Joseph's face darkened as he looked at Goethe.
"Thank you, thank you."
Pang- Pang-
However, there was something harder for Goethe to handle than Joseph's dark face or Jager's murderous gaze.
"Isn't this a knot?"
"…"
The sound of Vlad's voice came from the side.
The blame of the squire was the blame of the knight, and as a result, Vlad, who had been dragged along unknowingly, was silently tying the knot next to him.
The rope, thick enough to hold an adult man, was gradually becoming a sinister knot at Vlad's fingertips.
It's like something you'd use in a hanging...
"Well. We'll decide if we're right or not later."
Goethe, who had been distracted by the rope for a moment, tried to clear his mind and decided to focus on Joseph's words.
Though he was famous and insignificant, it was he who insulted the daughter of the count, and the punishment for him would be given by Joseph in front of him.
"I heard you came from the central region. I'd like to hear stories about that place."
"Yes! Of course!"
Joseph's eyes began to scan Goethe's movements.
He had sunken cheeks and torn, dirty clothing here and there.
Just a quick glance showed that the journey up to now had not been an easy one.
"I parted ways with Lord Vlad a few months ago in the city of Marsina..."
The memories begin in Goethe's hometown.
Goethe, who urgently took refuge after the battle with Collin the Boar, finally parted ways with Vlad because he couldn't ignore his family.
"Marsina would be a city with its own foundation."
"That's right. It definitely was."
As Joseph said, the city of Marsina was a pleasant place.
Although it was on the verge of going to war, it was a city that couldn't be expected to be easily taken, so Goethe planned to depart for Soara again as soon as he could ensure his family's safety with the money he received from Vlad.
"The central region isn't engulfed in chaos at the moment. It's as if they've been waiting for the present, there's war everywhere and looting by bands of thieves…"
But in the end, Goethe couldn't find a safe land to shelter his family.
Just before Marsina fell, Goethe and his family, who managed to escape from the city, wandered through several nearby cities, but all they faced was the fire of war that had begun to spread everywhere.
"Is it that serious?"
"Don't even mention it. Territorial wars are happening everywhere in the central region, to the point that cities not on fire are rare."
Thinking of that time, Goethe's expression began to pale, as if he were sick of it.
How dare he bring his elderly mother to the northern city of Soara?
Joseph couldn't deeply believe it, but he knew Goethe was a person who wouldn't do any foolishness, so he simply nodded silently.
"Very well."
Although there had been letters sent by ravens, they belonged to Bayezid's father, Bayezid's owner, and Joseph could only obtain fragmentary information.
Meanwhile, after hearing the vivid testimony of an experienced person, Joseph was able to recognize that the situation in the central region was much graver than he expected.
"Take a rest and come back here later in the night. I need to mark in detail the path you took on the map."
"Alright. Lord Joseph!"
According to Goethe's words, the central control that had been creaking even before the emperor's death seemed to have finally collapsed.
So now that the emperor is dead, things will start shaking even more.
As they proposed an emperor with very weak legitimacy, there would be no good news for the nobles who had been holding their breath.
"Of course, you'll first have to apologize to Miss Charlotte before coming to see me. Isn't that right, Vlad?"
"…Yes."
Vlad stood up at Joseph's order, clicked his tongue, and began to untie the knot.
Goethe, who saw that, felt relieved to have survived, but he didn't see Vlad tying a knot in a different manner.
At first glance, the knot with the blunt end looked like a whip.
***
"Ugh…"
"Stop being so harsh."
Vlad frowned as he watched Goethe struggling towards his unreachable back.
"Don't you think it's necessary to have marks like that to remind you?"
"Yes, but..."
There were several sharp scratches engraved on Goethe's clothing.
Joseph had lightly instructed Charlotte to apologize, but it was only natural that the process wasn't straightforward.
"No, just by looking at him, he was an excellent stablehand."
"Should we change the knot?"
"...Why were you doing that?"
"Why on earth?"
Even the clever Goethe couldn't tell from Charlotte's appearance that she was a girl, let alone a noble.
This might be because the girl's eyes were filled with venom.
"They said the nanny was crying and making a scene. So, when you go there, lie down as if you're dead."
"...Understood. Captain."
After hearing Goethe's dejected response, Vlad scratched his head and thought about Charlotte's nanny, Martha.
Even when pierced by an arrow, she was a woman who protected Charlotte instead of herself.
Although he did it out of ignorance, what Goethe did was clearly an act of insult to nobility, so his anger probably won't be easily relieved.
"How many more strokes do I need to give?"
"...Is that so?"
As Vlad looked at Goethe's back and wondered if a wound of this magnitude would be enough to calm his anger, he began to hear the sounds of soldiers murmuring outside.
"What? What's happening?"
"Focus on your affairs."
"No, it seems like everyone is rushing in."
When Goethe shrugged and nodded to look over there, Vlad peeked out the window.
As expected, as Goethe had said, the guards were rushing towards the town hall.
One person riding a horse in a hurry, and another person running hastily.
However, one thing they all had in common was that they seemed very surprised.
"What?"
At this point, all the guards would be patrolling the city.
The fact that they are flocking to the Town Hall means there's an incident that needs to be urgently reported.
"Hey."
"Yes? Yes, Sir Vlad!"
The guard who had been running down the hallway recognized Vlad and quickly saluted him.
"What's happening?"
"That's it!"
Although he was out of breath, he seemed relieved.
Because the only knight who could move around in this city at this moment was Vlad.
"At this moment, a suspicious ship is approaching the river, upstream!"
"Suspicious ship?"
Although it was said to be a suspicious ship, it was a guard with wide arms.
"Is it really big?"
"Yes!"
A very large suspicious ship sailing upstream.
Facing the panting guard, the knight and the squire began to brace themselves.
***
"What is that!"
"Never in my life have I seen a ship like that!"
The guards of Soara were pushing back the people who were beginning to flock to the dock.
However, there was nothing to be done about the crowd already there.
"Boss!"
"...What is that?"
Captain Hoover, the head of the Dark Alley, was watching a ship making its way up the river from the highest point of his building.
It was a sight that even he, who had been wandering the seas for decades, couldn't help but gape at.
"How did it get here?"
Experienced Hoover knew.
A ship of that size could never sail upstream.
The Soara River was wide, but the water was shallow, so if the ship were that large, the bottom of the ship would have touched the riverbed.
Considering that the two ships captured during the Nassau expedition were still anchored at sea, the sight now was absolutely impossible.
"Water mill?"
However, Hoover couldn't help but gape as he watched the ship gradually reveal its majesty.
There was a ship that not even the old captain, who had been sailing the seas for a long time, had ever seen before.
"We are not suspicious people! Lower your spear!"
Contrary to the man shouting on deck, the ship that appeared before the people was clearly suspicious.
An unidentified ship with furled sails but still moving.
On both sides of that strange ship, water mills were constantly pushing the current.
"Human Lord. Call Joseph Bayezid! We've come to Soara to respond to his letter!"
The voice of a small but stout man resounded through the docks of Soara.
A shrill voice, as if someone had tied a horn to their throat, began to echo through the docks of Soara.
"To Joseph Bayezid! Please also summon the human knight Vlad!"
Vlad, who had just arrived at the dock, widened his eyes as a man he had never seen before sought him out.
"What. Does the captain know someone?"
"That... I don't think he's human?"
In response to Goethe's question, Vlad narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, and soon he began to see a flag fluttering on a ship.
The flag bore an emblem completely different from any crest he had ever seen.
"We are from the Dwarven Liberation Front!"
A pattern resembling a hammer striking an anvil.
It was the flag of the Dwarven Liberation Front, Nidavellir.
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